


This Shit Is Gold: The Importance of Dung to the Thedas Economy

by coveredinfeels



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Do Not Read If Eating, Gen, Inappropriate Humor, Meta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 20:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7521259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coveredinfeels/pseuds/coveredinfeels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So you think you know shit?</p>
<p>When you look at how things were made throughout history, one thing is clear: most of these processes were <i>disgusting</i>. This meta commentary examines shit-related industries in Thedas, primarily to give the author an excuse to use that joke in the title. There are accompanying ficlets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Shit Is Gold: The Importance of Dung to the Thedas Economy

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: this is reasonably disgusting, and you probably shouldn't read it while eating, or at all.

“Dorian.” Josephine says, sternly as she can manage. “You wouldn't happen to know what happened to those two bottles of Orlesian red in the latest shipment? The ones I _expressly_ put aside for visiting dignitaries only?”

“The piquant numbers from that little vineyard near Val Falaise? The ones that are probably far too good for the palettes of any of our latest visitors?” Dorian says, with bare-faced lack of shame. “Absolutely no idea, terribly sorry I can't be of assistance.”

Clearly merely having him pay for the bottles he thieves is no longer sufficient. A glance down at her guest list. Ah, there's a thought. “Oh, just go, and try not to scandalise anyone at the evening soiree, would you?”

“I promise nothing.” Dorian replies, although honestly his mere presence provides just the right amount of scandal to keep things interesting, and he knows it.

The moment he is gone, she takes out her seating chart, and makes a couple of small but significant changes. She hopes this works, for both their sakes, because the next thing will be asking Leliana for her assistance, and Dorian is unlikely to enjoy _that_.

* * *

Leather is the time-honoured fashion favourite of fantasy heroes and heroines, but few fantasy canons ever consider where these people get all this leather in the first place. There's a good reason for that – making leather is rather less glamorous than wearing it while hunting down dragons (oi, the Qunari in the back – settle down there, I'm not done talking).

The process of making leather is a rather long and involved one, but the relevant stage in the process for the purpose of this discussion is called _puering_. That's from the French, _puer_ , meaning to stink. That's your first clue.

Puering is an unfortunately necessary stage of leather manufacturing which is used to remove chemicals used to dehair the skin, as well as to soften the leather before it is tanned. Modern-day processes will use synthetic, chemical methods, but in Thedas, they would have little choice but to use the all-natural process, to wit:

> an infusion of dogs' dung in water at a temperature of 35° to 40°C. (Wood, Joseph Turney, _The Puering, Bating, and Drenching of Skins_ , 1912) 

For those of your who don't speak Celsius, that's about the same as human body temperature.

Somewhat euphemistically, the material used for puering was referred to as 'dog-pure', and collecting it was one of the less pleasant jobs open to our ancestors – although actually mixing the puer up might have just about ranked even with it. You know that thing where people trample grapes with their bare feet? Hold that image in your head for a moment. Please don't make me spell it out.

There are honestly no non-shit options here (until Dagna invents them). Bating used hen or pigeon dung instead; Bioware appears to so far be silent as to whether this is a potential use of nug shit.

According to some sources, not only was dog-pure rated above all other options, but the precise source of the dung _mattered_. A fellow named Charles Thomas Davis explains this in some length in a work of 1897:

> In common with the excrements of other carnivorous animals, that of the dog contains an acid, which, it is claimed, has hitherto defied artificial production, and has the property of " cutting " the grease and fat adhering to fresh skins; it also softens and bleaches the skin, and first quality dog-pure is valued above all other dung for the reason that the acid it contains is just powerful enough to produce these results without injuring the delicate fibre of the skin...
> 
> ...great difference in the strength of the same kind of animal excrements, as that of dogs for instance, due to the different varieties of food upon which they have been fed, vegetables, bones, etc. (David, Charles Thomas.  _The Manufacture of Leather_. 1897)

This leads us crashing headlong to the inevitable conclusion that for the leather manufacturer in Ferelden looking for that edge over their competitors, there could be only one option: Mabari Pure. You could base an entire industry around it-- preferably well outside town, downstream from where you're getting your drinking water.

So the next time you're contemplating why certain fictional characters have to wear so many belts, consider also: do they know exactly where that stuff came from?

* * *

“Dear me,” Josephine says, as Dorian attempts to slip from the hall, “you aren't feeling unwell, are you? The Bann seemed to be enjoying your company, I'm sure he'd be disappointed if you were to take an early leave.”

“As informative and one-sided a discussion as that was,” Dorian snaps, “I shall find myself indisposed. I can't believe you're holding a grudge over two lousy bottles of wine.”

“A grudge? No. Merely a reminder that overindulgence can land you in unfortunate circumstances, such as a seat next to Ferelden's most enthusiastic promoter of the local leather industry.”

“I shall attempt to limit myself to middling vintages in future, if it will save me from enthusiastic southerners.” Dorian says. He sounds almost genuine. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go attempt to forget everything I've learnt tonight. It's that or never wear leather again.”


End file.
